Cerulean
Cerulean, also designated TRAPPIST-1d, is an Outer Colony under the governance of the Unified Earth Government in the TRAPPIST-1 System. It was settled in 2376 along with her sister planet Ambrosia, also known as TRAPPIST-1e. These two planets were distinct in that both were discovered harboring non-intelligent sentient life. Cerulean was a water-rich world with a diverse pool of aquatic life, and Ambrosia was a rocky planet with land creatures never before encountered and primarily dominated by reptilian and avian animals. Cerulean is considered an Outer Colony due the great physical distance of 39.6 light years, long travel times, poor industrial output, and a slow growth rate for the population. Nevertheless, the colonists have remained loyal to the UEG even through the toughest of trials. In 2553, the UNSC discovered the presence of a massive Forerunner installation on the sun-facing side of Ambrosia which encompasses a surface area of 517 miles². Galactic Positioning TRAPPIST-1 is an M8V main sequence dwarf star around 7.6 gigayears old in the constellation of Aquarius. It is located at 39.6 light years from Earth and 36.5 light years from Reach. It is also 65.9 light years from Falaknuma in the 18 Scorpii System yet has the shortest Slipspace travel time of around one to two weeks compared to most other colonies. The closest neighbor is 51 Pegasi at 23.13 light years and is likewise considered to be rather distant. TRAPPIST-1 is not located along any prominent trade routes but still receives frequent visitors and shipments from Falaknuma. Solar System The TRAPPIST-1 System contains seven Earth-sized exoplanets all orbiting the parent star closer than Mercury does to the Sun. The planets have a circular, compact, flat, and non-eccentric orbit. The planets appear in each other's skies as larger than the full moon on the Earth. The planets are tidally locked which makes life hardier and difficult, but a thicker atmosphere allows some of the planets to distribute heat across the surface which can allow for more stable climates as is the case for Ambrosia and Cerulean. TRAPPIST-1b and c are located in the hot zone where the water evaporates. B and c have a thick atmosphere similar to Venus, though b is more extreme in that case. Planet c has volcanic eruptions and a rocky-molten surface. Cerulean is a water-rich world with some island continents carved out through meteor impacts from the planet formation period. This is the first of three planets located in the habitable zone where water is in a liquid state. The heat from the sun-facing side and the cold from the dark side of the planet creates some dangerous hurricanes along the terminator line. Cerulean possessed exotic aquatic creatures that were too great in number to catalog but deemed harmless to land-based cities. Notably, the Pearlight Arcologies were built with technology that could simulate artificial gravity for its colonists due to the surface gravity being half of Earth's normal gravity. Ambrosia is the fourth planet and second to be within the habitable zone. It doesn't have as much water as Cerulean but has a greater variety of land creatures ranging from the dominant reptiles, to mammals and avians. This rocky planet is similar to Earth with about the same mass, gravity, density, diameter, temperature, and stellar flux. The diameter is 5830 kilometers and has a surface gravity of 0.93 gravitational force. The main difference is Ambrosia orbits the star at 0.0292 AU in a period of 6.1 days relative to Earth. TRAPPIST-1f, g, and h are non-habitable and possess hydrogen-helium rich atmospheres that makes the planet inhospitable. Planet f, called Gekko by the Sangheili, is located within the habitable zone but unvisited by the UNSC. Planets g and h are Pluto-like icy planets located outside the habitable zone and are unvisited. History 'Colonization' A team of Belgian astronomers first discovered three Earth-sized planets orbiting the dwarf star in 2015. More research and observation revealed the existence of a total of seven planets with three being located in the habitable zone. Since then, mankind has endeavored to colonize the system once technology advanced enough to allow it. In September 2373, the CAA Rosegold departed from Mars and entered the system. The Colonial Administration Authority facilitated the terraforming and colonization of the third and fourth planets. It took seven years to catalog the most prominent and dangerous creatures native on both worlds, particularly Ambrosia. Due to the strictly aquatic-based life, Cerulean was the first planet to be settled on in 2376. The Pearlight Arcologies became the main housing and interaction centers on Canto (the main continent named after "stump" in Finnish). Biologists flocked here at the chance to discover new life forms that could have evolved across the solar system. During the Insurrection, a violent sect of the United Rebel Front was based in the system. This sect conducted several raids on shipments passing through the space elevator as well as cargo ships docked in the station above. During Operation: TREBUCHET, the UNSC discovered their headquarters in a chain of islands outside the terminator line on Cerulean. The operation put an end to the terrorist attacks in the system. 'Postwar Activities' In 2525, the Human-Covenant War started and would last for three decades with dozens of colonies enveloped in fire and brimstone. The TRAPPIST-1 System may have remained undetected by the Covenant, but it did not go unaffected. There were millions of refugees that migrated to the system by the conclusion of the war. Horror stories about the Covenant added fear to the increased tensions the colonists had towards the UNSC. In 2548, extremists set off bombs in the space elevator as a message for the UNSC to stop sending refugees to their cities. The incident resulted in a hundred deaths and the elevator being out of commission for three years. The message was received for a while, but the UNSC pleaded for the colonists to understand the situation. In January 2553, the UNSC handed executive powers back to the Unified Earth Government following the victory over the Covenant. Project Rebirth was a UEG project to rebuild the locations damaged by the Covenant during the war. It also had a secondary objective of re-establishing contact with the colonies. The UEG sent a diplomatic shuttle Amber Rose to establish contact with the colonists and repair relations. Their first action was to offer free transportation for any colonists or refugees wishing to move elsewhere. 'Forerunner Discoveries' Project Rebirth was a dangerous undertaking considering there could still be hostile elements out in deep space. The UNSC would naturally provide a task force to escort diplomatic shuttles. These warships served another important purpose in Operation: SALAMANDER - a mission to prevent weapons and technology scattered across the colonies from falling into unwanted hands. The UNSC Side of Paradise was apart of the Sigma-3 fleet that escorted the Amber Rose on their mission to the TRAPPIST-1 System. The warship was equipped with an experimental version of the Covenant Luminary. That device was responsible for detecting a Forerunner structure along the sun-facing side of Ambrosia. The structure covered a surface area of 517 mi², the size of a modern metropolis. The Office of Naval Intelligence was given full operational control of the mission to uncover the artifacts. The 73rd Xeno-Investigations Battalion - part of Beta-3's Xeno-Materials Exploitation Group - set up research bases outside the capital of New Armenia on Ambrosia. Knowing it would be impossible to conceal the presence of a Forerunner excavation site this massive, the public was informed of the discoveries. The importance of TRAPPIST-1's colonies and the increasing presence the government was now having in the system meant there was going to be a major technological and economic boost. The quality of life, trade and commerce, big businesses, job opportunities, civil engineering, and urban infrastructure all received noticeable boosts. There was one drawback that made the colonists nervous and that was the contracting of Sangheili and Unggoy researchers in the excavation project. In order to manage the alliance and resistance the colonists may face, the UEG established the Department of Extranormal Affairs in 2554. The ratification of the department marked the first time a non-human individual was employed into a human government and vice versa in the case of the Swords of Sanghelios. The DEA oversaw all affairs related to research into Forerunner artifacts, joint-military operations, and even governing Sangheili settlements in Joint Occupation Zones such as Coral. Entrepreneurs among the Sangheili received permission from the DEA to mine the helium and hydrogen on TRAPPIST-1f, nicknamed Gekko (Sanghelian: Gekko translates to "moonlight"), and sell it as a power source or fuel to the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios. Their hydro-processing plants have been studied and replicated in other systems for the same purpose of mining the hydrogen and helium. Category:Outer Colonies